Seated at the head of the table, Old Man Gu looked at the reunited family, his wrinkled face filled with joy. “Today is the day Ningning and her husband brought Xingxing and Yueyue home. It’s a day of celebration and reunion. I hope our family can enjoy such happiness year after year.”
“Cheers!”
“Eat up, everyone. Don’t hold back—take whatever you like.”
Throughout the meal, the Gu family kept serving dishes to Gu Jianing.
As for Sheng Zexi, he was responsible for watching the two children as they ate.
Xingxing and Yueyue had already learned to feed themselves. Though they were a bit slow, their table manners were impeccable, with no spills or messes. Sheng Zexi’s role was to serve them their favorite foods—dishes they could safely eat.
The Gu family was pleased to see this.
Had it been Gu Jianing tending to the children while Sheng Zexi focused solely on his own meal, they would have been far less satisfied.
Over the past three years, even though Ningning hadn’t returned home, the glow on their youngest sister’s face and her husband’s considerate actions suggested she was living happily.
That put their minds at ease.
Originally, this was meant to be a day of reunion for the Gu family. But shortly after the meal began, frantic knocking erupted at the door.
“Sister Yao, Sister Yao, open the door!”
“Jianing, Jianing, are you home?”
“Please open the door!”
The Gu family froze at the sound.
“That sounds like Aunt Wu’s voice,” said Gu Yunzhou, whose sharp ears recognized it immediately.
Aunt Wu—that would be Wu Meili, their next-door neighbor.
Yao Chunhua suddenly remembered. “Didn’t Wu Meili go to her daughter’s’ place? Is she back? Why is she knocking on our door?”
And calling her “Sister Yao”? Their relationship had never been good—Wu Meili had never once addressed her so affectionately.
“She sounds desperate. Third Son, go see what’s going on,” Old Man Gu instructed.
“Alright.”
Gu Yunzhou stood up and opened the courtyard gate. Sure enough, Wu Meili was standing outside, her face twisted with panic.
The moment she saw Gu Yunzhou, she rushed forward. “Third Gu, is your Ningning home?”
“Where is she? Can she come with me to save someone? Please!”
Then, Wu Meili spotted Gu Jianing sitting at the dining table inside and dashed in.
She dropped to her knees before Gu Jianing. “Ningning, please come with me to save your sister Baozhu and her baby! Auntie is begging you!”
“I’ll kowtow to you!”
Wu Meili not only knelt but also wore an expression of sheer desperation, tears streaming down her face. At this moment, she looked at Gu Jianing as if she were her last hope.
Her actions, however, shocked the Gu family and Gu Jianing.
“Wu Meili, what are you doing? Kneeling to my daughter—are you trying to curse her with a shortened life?” Yao Chunhua scolded angrily.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant!”
“Sister Yao, I was wrong. I’m just too frantic. My Baozhu and her unborn child are fighting for their lives!”
Seeing her state, Yao Chunhua realized the situation was dire. She yanked Wu Meili up. “What exactly happened? Explain first!”
“Alright, I’ll explain!”
The incident began when Wu Meili took a hen from home to visit her daughter in the neighboring Xinghua Village.
Wu Meili had two sons and a daughter, but she wasn’t close to her sons. The eldest had even moved to the city to become a live-in son-in-law, while the youngest was dull and barely spoke.
Only her daughter, Baozhu, was her favorite—the one most like her.
From the moment her daughter was born, Wu Meili adored her, giving her the name “Baozhu” (Treasured Pearl).
In an era when many dismissed girls as “money-losers,” Wu Meili doted on her Baozhu and even sent her to school.
Though Baozhu didn’t grow up as beautiful or capable as Yao Chunhua’s daughter, Gu Jianing, from next door, Wu Meili still believed her daughter was perfect in every way.
Because she thought so highly of her, Wu Meili always wanted the best for Baozhu.
She knew that marriage was a lifelong commitment—a crucial matter for a woman.
So, early on, she had her eye on Yao Chunhua’s eldest son, believing Baozhu would surely be happy marrying him.
But unexpectedly, Gu Yunting ended up marrying Yang Manman.
Resentful, Wu Meili began harboring a grudge against Yao Chunhua from that moment.
Later, Baozhu married Yang Guangming, a carpenter.
Though not wealthy, their life wasn’t too bad, especially after Baozhu gave birth to a son the following year.
Then, late last year, Baozhu became pregnant again—now nearing her due date.
Worried that Yang Guangming’s stingy mother wouldn’t feed her daughter properly, Wu Meili frequently brought food to Baozhu—items reserved for postpartum recovery, like the hen she carried today.
Everything had gone smoothly at first. By evening, not wanting to burden her daughter, Wu Meili didn’t even stay for dinner.
But halfway home, she suddenly heard her grandson’s voice behind her.
Turning around, she saw her five-year-old grandson running toward her in tears, tugging at her sleeve and begging her to save his mother.
From the boy’s fragmented explanation, Wu Meili learned that after she left, something had happened—Yang Guangming had pushed Baozhu.
The fall triggered labor, but instead of calling a midwife, Yang Guangming and his mother locked Baozhu in a room.
“They’re trying to kill her! They want my Baozhu and her baby dead!”
Luckily, her grandson was quick-witted. He ran after his grandmother to seek help.
Wu Meili never imagined Yang Guangming and his mother could be so cruel.
She had to save her daughter.
Immediately, she turned back with her grandson.
Knowing she and the boy were no match for Yang Guangming and his mother, she quickly rallied villagers from Xinghua Village to storm the Yang house.
Thankfully, most villagers were kind-hearted and willing to help.
Finally, Wu Meili broke down the locked door and carried Baozhu out.
She wanted to confront Yang Guangming and his mother, but Baozhu’s condition was too critical.
Without delay, she begged the villagers to arrange an oxcart and rushed Baozhu to the county hospital.
She thought her daughter would be saved there.
But the doctor said…
“The doctor said Baozhu’s having a difficult birth—that she couldn’t save her.”
“But Baozhu is my life, my daughter! How can I just watch her die?”
As Wu Meili desperately searched her mind for someone who could help, one name suddenly surfaced—
Gu Jianing!
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